Sex-related seasonal differences in the foraging strategy of the Kentish Plover

In species of birds with biparental care, each sex may have its own energy requirements and/or schedule for feeding, possibly leading the sexes to differ in foraging strategy. In estuaries, shorebirds such as the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus alexandrinus) may forage on intertidal mudflats and in adjacent su- pratidal habitats during winter as well as during the breeding season. In this study, we analyzed the diet, use of foraging habitat, food-intake rate (biomass ingested per unit time), and time allocated to foraging by male and female Kentish Plovers at both seasons in an estuary near Cádiz, Spain, where intertidal mudflats and adjacent salt works are the main habitats for foraging. The plovers’ main prey was the ragworm (Nereis diversicolor), an intertidal polychaete that supplied more than 80% of the biomass consumed at each season. During the breeding season, both sexes increased their intake rate and decreased their daylight foraging time. By increasing the diurnal intake rate during the breeding season, the birds minimized their time spent foraging on the intertidal mudflats, allowing them to maximize the time for activities associated with breeding in the adjacent salt works. Therefore, the plovers solved the conflict between foraging on the mudflats and breeding in the salt works by shortening the foraging time on the mudflats, minimizing time away from the nesting areas. The sexes differed in the daylight time allocated to foraging, with females spending 2 hr less on foraging and concentrating their feeding activity into the central hours of low tideEn especies de aves con cuidado biparental, cada sexo puede tener sus propios requerimientos de energía y/o esquema de tiempo para la alimentación, lo cual podría conducir a diferencias en las estrategias de alimentación entre ambos sexos. En los estuarios, las especies de playeros como Charadrius alexandrinus pueden forrajear en fangos intermareales y en hábitats supramareales adyacentes tanto durante el invierno así como du- rante la época reproductiva. Aquí, analizamos la dieta, el uso de hábitat de forrajeo, la tasa de ingestión (biomasa ingerida por unidad de tiempo) y el tiempo dedicado al forrajeo por el macho y la hembra de C. alexandrinus du- rante ambas temporadas en una zona estuarina donde los fangos intermareales y las salinas adyacentes son las principales áreas de alimentación. La principal presa para C. alexandrinus fue un poliqueto (Nereis diversicolor), una presa intermareal que suplió más del 80% de la biomasa consumida en cada estación. Ambos sexos incremen- taron sus tasas de alimentación durante la época reproductiva, y disminuyeron sus tiempos diurnos de forrajeo. Por el incremento de la tasa de ingestión durante la época reproductiva, las aves minimizaron el tiempo que pasaron en los fangos intermareales, lo que les permitió maximizar el tiempo dedicado a las actividades de reproducción en las salinas adyacentes. Por lo tanto, el conflicto entre alimentarse en los fangos versus el desarrollo de las ac- tividades de reproducción (en las salinas), fue resuelto acortando el tiempo en los fangos, minimizando el tiempo fuera de las zonas de nidada. Hubo diferencias relacionadas con el sexo en el tiempo diurno dedicado al forrajeo: las hembras dedicaron dos horas menos a la alimentación y concentraron su actividad de alimentación en las horas centrales de la marea baja

Ergogenic effects of quercetin supplementation in trained rats

[Background] Quercetin is a natural polyphenolic compound currently under study for its ergogenic capacity to improve mitochondrial biogenesis. Sedentary mice have exhibited increased endurance performance, but results are contradictory in human models. [Methods] We examined the effects of six weeks of endurance training and quercetin supplementation on markers of endurance performance and training in a rodent model. Rats were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: placebo+sedentary (PS), quercetin+sedentary (QS), placebo+endurance training (PT) and quercetin+endurance training (QT). Quercetin was administered at a dose of 25 mg/kg on alternate days. During six weeks of treatment volume parameters of training were recorded, and after six weeks all groups performed a maximal graded VO2 max test and a low-intensity endurance run-to-fatigue test. [Results] No effects were found in VO2 peak (p>0.999), nor in distance run during low-intensity test, although it was 14% greater in QT when compared with PT (P = 0.097). Post-exercise blood lactate was increased in QT when compared with PT (p=0.023) and also in QS compared with PS (p=0.024). [Conclusions] This study showed no effects in VO2 peak, speed at VO2 peak or endurance time to exhaustion after six weeks of quercetin supplementation compared with placebo in trained rats. Quercetin was show to increase blood lactate production after high-intensity exercise

A multistep Steffensen-type method for solving nonlinear systems of equations

[EN] This paper is devoted to the semilocal analysis of a high-order Steffensen-type method with frozen divided differences. The methods are free of bilinear operators and derivatives, which constitutes the main limitation of the classical high-order iterative schemes. Although the methods are more demanding, a semilocal convergence analysis is presented using weaker conditions than the classical Steffensen method.This work was supported supported in part by by Programa de Apoyo a la investigación de la fundación Séneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia 19374/PI/14, by the project of Generalitat Valenciana Prometeo/2016/089 and the projects MTM2015-64382-P (MINECO/FEDER), MTM2014-52016-C2-1-P and MTM2014-52016-C2-2-P of the Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationAmat, S.; Argyros, IK.; Busquier, S.; Hernández-Verón, MA.; Magreñán, AA.; Martínez Molada, E. (2020). A multistep Steffensen-type method for solving nonlinear systems of equations. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences. 43(13):7518-7536. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.5599S75187536431

ACUTE RESPONSES TO 4 VS. 4 SMALL-SIDED GAMES IN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The aim of this study was to examine acute physiological responses, physical fitness parameters and timemotion characteristics associated with a 4-a-side small-sided game in amateur level players. Sixteen male football players (age 23.9±4.2 years) completed one 4-a-side small sided game with the aim of maintaining ball possession as long as possible. The participants were monitored for external load and physiological parameters, and tested before and after for physical fitness assessment. A Student’s paired t-test was conducted to determine the differences in physical fitness assessment. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Bonferroni post-hoc test, was used to determine the dynamics of physiological parameters in players, their RPE and time-motion characteristics of SSG. A significant difference was found in 20 m sprint time between before and after the SSG (Δ=+1.3%). No significant differences were found between bouts or recovery periods for THb and SmO2, nor between HR-related variables (ES=.005-.383). Compared to RPE in bout 1, greater values were observed in bouts 2, 3, and 4 (Δ=+5.3%, p=.008, ES=.40; Δ=+9.6%, p=.002, ES=.98; Δ=+15.1%, p=.000, ES=1.29; respectively). No significant differences were found between bouts for time-motion characteristics. The results demonstrated that RPE responses increased throughout bout periods, whereas the rest of physiological parameters were maintained over the entire protocol. Due to possible fatigue accumulation, physical fitness performance was impaired (sprint) and the external load was reduced over the course of the protocol

Release of muscle α-actin into serum after intensive exercise

Purpose: To study the effects of high-level matches on serum alpha actin and other muscle damage markers in teams of rugby and handball players. Methods: Blood samples were drawn from 23 sportsmen: 13 rugby players and 10 handball players. One sample was drawn with the player at rest before the match and one immediately after the match. Immunoassays were used to determine troponin I, troponin T, LDH, and myoglobin concentrations. Western blot and densitometry were used to measure α-actin concentrations. Muscle injury was defined by a total CK value of > 500 IU/L (Rosalki method). Results: Mean pre- and post-match serum alpha-actin values were, respectively, 7.16 and 26.47 μg/ml in the handball group and 1.24 and 20.04 μg/ml in the rugby team. CPK, LDH and myoglobin but not troponin 1 levels also significantly differed between these time points. According to these results, large amounts of α-actin are released into peripheral blood immediately after intense physical effort. Possible cross-interference between skeletal and cardiac muscle damage can be discriminated by the combined use of α-actin and troponin I. Conclusion: The significant increase in alpha-actin after a high-level match may be a reliable marker for the early diagnosis and hence more effective treatment of muscle injury

Mixed life-history strategies in a local population of the ectoparasitic fly Carnus hemapterus

A major issue for the proper understanding of the evolution of life-cycle histories is the regulation of voltinism and its variation. Diapause characteristics are known to regulate voltinism, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This paper studies diapause duration and voltinism variation in a haematophagous diptera parasitizing 2 sympatric hosts with very different breeding phenologies. We hypothesize that bivoltinism will be more frequent in carnid flies parasitizing an early breeding, multi-brooded species than in flies parasitizing a late breeder, single-brooded species. We obtained evidence of the co-occurrence of uni-and bivoltinism in both clutches of the multi-brooded Spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) as well as in clutches of the single-brooded European roller (Coracias garrulus). Unexpectedly, the proportion of bivoltine flies was similar in both host species. A remarkable degree of host-parasite synchronization at the population level was found for bivoltine flies. Our findings reveal the facultative nature of diapause in Carnus. We discuss the influence of abiotic conditions and host availability on polymorphism in life-history cycles and the consequences both for the parasite and the host

Semilocal Convergence Analysis of an Iteration of Order Five Using Recurrence Relations in Banach Spaces

[EN] Semilocal convergence for an iteration of order five for solving nonlinear equations in Banach spaces is established under second-order Fr,chet derivative satisfying the Lipschitz condition. It is done by deriving a number of recurrence relations. A theorem for the existence-uniqueness along with the estimation of error bounds of the solution is established. Its R-order is shown to be equal to five. Both efficiency and computational efficiency indices are given. A variety of examples are worked out to show its applicability. In comparison to existing methods having similar R-orders, improved results in terms of computational efficiency index and error bounds are found using our methodology.The authors thank the referees for their valuable comments which have improved the presentation of the paper. The authors thankfully acknowledge the financial assistance provided by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India.Singh, S.; Gupta, D.; Martínez Molada, E.; Hueso Pagoaga, JL. (2016). Semilocal Convergence Analysis of an Iteration of Order Five Using Recurrence Relations in Banach Spaces. Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics. 13(6):4219-4235. doi:10.1007/s00009-016-0741-5S42194235136Cordero A., Hueso J.L., Martinez E., Torregrosa J.R.: Increasing the convergence order of an iterative method for nonlinear systems. Appl. Math. Lett. 25, 2369–2374 (2012)Chen, L., Gu, C., Ma Y.: Semilocal convergence for a fifth order Newton’s method using Recurrence relations in Banach spaces. J. Appl. Math. 2011, 1–15 (2011)Wang X., Kou J., Gu C.: Semilocal convergence of a sixth order Jarrat method in Banach spaces. Numer. Algorithms 57, 441–456 (2011)Zheng L., Gu C.: Semilocal convergence of a sixth order method in Banach spaces. Numer. Algorithms 61, 413–427 (2012)Zheng L., Gu C.: Recurrence relations for semilocal convergence of a fifth order method in Banach spaces. Numer. Algorithms 59, 623–638 (2012)Proinov P.D., Ivanov S.I.: On the convergence of Halley’s method for multiple polynomial zeros. Mediterr. J. Math. 12, 555–572 (2015)Ezquerro, J.A., Hernández-Verón M.A.: On the domain of starting points of Newton’s method under center lipschitz conditions. Mediterr. J. Math. (2015). doi: 10.1007/s00009-015-0596-1Cordero A., Hernández-Verón M.A., Romero N., Torregrosa J.R.: Semilocal convergence by using recurrence relations for a fifth-order method in Banach spaces. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 273, 205–213 (2015)Parida P.K., Gupta D.K.: Recurrence relations for a Newton-like method in Banach spaces. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 206, 873–887 (2007)Hueso J.L., Martínez E.: Semilocal convergence of a family of iterative methods in Banach spaces. Numer. Algorithms 67, 365–384 (2014)Argyros, I.K., Hilout S.: Numerical methods in nonlinear analysis. World Scientific Publ. Comp., New Jersey (2013)Argyros, I.K., Hilout, S., Tabatabai, M.A.: Mathematical modelling with applications in biosciences and engineering. Nova Publishers, New York (2011)Argyros I.K., Khattri S.K.: Local convergence for a family of third order methods in Banach spaces. J. Math. 46, 53–62 (2004)Argyros I.K., Hilout A.S.: On the local convergence of fast two-step Newton-like methods for solving nonlinear equations. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 245, 1–9 (2013)Kantorovich, L.V., Akilov G.P.: Functional analysis. Pergamon Press, Oxford (1982)Argyros I.K., George S., Magreñán A.A.: Local convergence for multi-point-parametric Chebyshev-Halley-type methods of higher convergence order. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 282, 215–224 (2015)Argyros I.K., Magreñán A.A.: A study on the local convergence and the dynamics of Chebyshev-Halley-type methods free from second derivative. Numer. Algorithms 71, 1–23 (2015)Amat S., Hernández M.A., Romero N.: A modified Chebyshev’s iterative method with at least sixth order of convergence. Appl. Math. Comput. 206, 164–174 (2008)Chun, C., St $${\breve{a}}$$ a ˘ nic $${\breve{a}}$$ a ˘ , P., Neta, B.: Third-order family of methods in Banach spaces. Comput. Math. Appl. 61, 1665–1675 (2011)Ostrowski, A.M.: Solution of equations in Euclidean and Banach spaces, 3rd edn. Academic Press, New-York (1977)Jaiswal J.P.: Semilocal convergence of an eighth-order method in Banach spaces and its computational efficiency. Numer. Algorithms 71, 933–951 (2015)Traub, J.F.: Iterative methods for the solution of equations. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1964

Tumors defective in homologous recombination rely on oxidative metabolism: relevance to treatments with PARP inhibitors

Mitochondrial metabolism and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to the acquisition of DNA mutations and genomic instability in cancer. How genomic instability influences the metabolic capacity of cancer cells is nevertheless poorly understood. Here, we show that homologous recombination-defective (HRD) cancers rely on oxidative metabolism to supply NAD+ and ATP for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-dependent DNA repair mechanisms. Studies in breast and ovarian cancer HRD models depict a metabolic shift that includes enhanced expression of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway and its key components and a decline in the glycolytic Warburg phenotype. Hence, HRD cells are more sensitive to metformin and NAD+ concentration changes. On the other hand, shifting from an OXPHOS to a highly glycolytic metabolism interferes with the sensitivity to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in these HRD cells. This feature is associated with a weak response to PARP inhibition in patient-derived xenografts, emerging as a new mechanism to determine PARPi sensitivity. This study shows a mechanistic link between two major cancer hallmarks, which in turn suggests novel possibilities for specifically treating HRD cancers with OXPHOS inhibitors

Revisiting the epidemiology of bloodstream infections and healthcare-associated episodes: results from a multicentre prospective cohort in Spain (PRO-BAC Study)

PROBAC REIPI/GEIH-SEIMC/SAEI Group.The epidemiology of bloodstream infections (BSIs) is dynamic as it depends on microbiological, host and healthcare system factors. The aim of this study was to update the information regarding the epidemiology of BSIs in Spain considering the type of acquisition. An observational, prospective cohort study in 26 Spanish hospitals from October 2016 through March 2017 including all episodes of BSI in adults was performed. Bivariate analyses stratified by type of acquisition were performed. Multivariate analyses were performed by logistic regression. Overall, 6345 BSI episodes were included; 2510 (39.8%) were community-acquired (CA), 1661 (26.3%) were healthcare-associated (HCA) and 2056 (32.6%) hospital-acquired (HA). The 30-day mortality rates were 11.6%, 19.5% and 22.0%, respectively. The median age of patients was 71 years (interquartile range 60–81 years) and 3656 (58.3%; 95% confidence interval 57.1–59.6%) occurred in males. The proportions according to patient sex varied according to age strata. Escherichia coli (43.8%), Klebsiella spp. (8.9%), Staphylococcus aureus (8.9%) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (7.4%) were the most frequent pathogens. Multivariate analyses confirmed important differences between CA and HCA episodes, but also between HCA and HA episodes, in demographics, underlying conditions and aetiology. In conclusion, we have updated the epidemiological information regarding patients’ profiles, underlying conditions, frequency of acquisition types and aetiological agents of BSI in Spain. HCA is confirmed as a distinct type of acquisition.This work was financed by grants from Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2013–2016, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades [PI16/01432] and the Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI) [RD16/0016/0001; RD16/0016/0008], co‐financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’, Operative program Intelligent Growth 2014–2020

No signs of inbreeding despite long-term isolation and habitat fragmentation in the critically endangered Montseny brook newt (Calotriton arnoldi)

Endemic species with restricted geographic ranges potentially suffer the highest risk of extinction. If these species are further fragmented into genetically isolated subpopulations, the risk of extinction is elevated. Habitat fragmentation is generally considered to have negative effects on species survival, despite some evidence for neutral or even positive effects. Typically, non-negative effects are ignored by conservation biology. The Montseny brook newt (Calotriton arnoldi) has one of the smallest distribution ranges of any European amphibian (8 km2) and is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Here we apply molecular markers to analyze its population structure and find that habitat fragmentation owing to a natural barrier has resulted in strong genetic division of populations into two sectors, with no detectable migration between sites. Although effective population size estimates suggest low values for all populations, we found low levels of inbreeding and relatedness between individuals within populations. Moreover, C. arnoldi displays similar levels of genetic diversity to its sister species Calotriton asper, from which it separated around 1.5 million years ago and which has a much larger distribution range. Our extensive study shows that natural habitat fragmentation does not result in negative genetic effects, such as the loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding on an evolutionary timescale. We hypothesize that species in such conditions may evolve strategies (for example, special mating preferences) to mitigate the effects of small population sizes. However, it should be stressed that the influence of natural habitat fragmentation on an evolutionary timescale should not be conflated with anthropogenic habitat loss or degradation when considering conservation strategies